March 12, 2009 Marshall S. "Mike" Smith to Keynote Library of Congress Forum on American Education in the 21st Century

Press Contact: Jennifer Gavin, (202) 707-1940; Krista Zaharias, (202) 552 4557

Marshall S. “Mike” Smith, senior counselor to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, will deliver the keynote address, “Education in the 21st Century,” at a Library of Congress forum on K-12 education. The forum, titled “American Education in the Digital Age and Beyond: A Discussion for the 21st Century” will take place Monday, March 16, at 8:30 a.m. in the Members’ Room at the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington D.C. The event is also hosted by Strong American Schools and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The event is free but registration is required via e-mail to specialevents@loc.gov. Speakers will include Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, a leading advocate of using primary-source digital material in the classroom; former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, chairman of Strong American Schools; and Lauren Resnick, professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. There will also be presentations by educators from Colorado, Illinois, and Northern Virginia in the Library of Congress’ groundbreaking Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Program; Gov. Romer will introduce the second panel and provide an overview of attempts to promote high content standards for K-12 education. The Library of Congress now has 15.3 million digital materials online at www.loc.gov. The Library is working to bring this unparalleled collection of knowledge to a new generation of students and educators. The Library’s educational vision is to give teachers the tools that can help students marshal the power of those primary sources and build their capacity to think critically about the world around them. A detailed schedule follows: 8:30 Registration and coffee 9:00 Welcome: The Library of Congress and the Importance of Primary Sources • Dr. James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress • Presentation of the Library digital learning and teaching resources and their use in the classroom 9:20 “Content Knowledge and Thinking Skills: What Relationship? What Priority?” • Dr. Lauren Resnick, University of Pittsburgh 9:45 Panel I: Content and Practices for Developing Critical Thinking Skills • Presentations from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Program highlighting the Library’s repository of materials used to enhance 21st-century learning skills in the classroom. Panelists include moderator Kristen Amundson, author and consultant; Dr. Anne Ryan Bell, TPS program director, University of Northern Colorado; Carrie Veatch, high school social studies teacher, Vilas Online School, Colorado; Dr. Rhonda Clevenson, TPS program director, Northern Virginia Partnership; Lisa Allan, fourth-grade teacher, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, Falls Church, Virginia; Dr. Jerry Hostetler, TPS program director, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; and Courtney L. Kisat, middle school social studies teacher, Jonesboro School of Jonesboro, Ill. 11:10 Panel II: “A Pathway to Common Standards,” introduced by Gov. Roy Romer, Chairman, Strong American Schools • Leading policy and research experts in education will discuss standards and assessments and how the development of 21st-century skills fit in the current landscape. Panelists include moderator Brian Kelly of U.S. News & World Report; Gene Wilhoit, Council of Chief State School Officers; Elena Silva, Education Sector; Natasha Vasavada, senior director of Standards for College Success, the College Board, and Jon Erickson, ACT. 12:20 Dr. James Billington introduces Marshall S. “Mike” Smith, senior counselor to the Secretary of Education 12:30 Keynote Address: Marshall S. “Mike” Smith, “Education in the 21st Century”

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PR 09-052
2009-03-12
ISSN 0731-3527